#8. “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” -Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address on March 4th, 1801, lays out the libertarian ideal of government perfectly. Don’t hurt people, don’t take their stuff. It’s as simple as that. Government should have no say in commerce. Laissez-faire. Jefferson compacted this sentiment in the same speech, later saying: